SAAAAC Informs. President s Letter. Secretaries and Assistants Association of Anne Arundel County. Dear Members,

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1 Secretaries and Assistants Association of Anne Arundel County 2521 Riva Road, Annapolis, Maryland SAAAAC Informs Volume 41, Issue 5 June 2014 President s Letter Dear Members, Board Members Pat Dudley President pdudley@mseanea.org Elaine Hambly Secretary elaine@cnssys.com Elizabeth Dodson Director goldilocks592003@yahoo.com Debbie Schaefer Director dschaefer@mseanea.org Brad Darjean MSEA Uniserv Director bdarjean@mseanea.org President Betty Weller Congratulations to Liz Dodson. She will be your next President. Let me take this time and ask that you as members please step up and volunteer to make this the best Educational Support Professional Association in the state. MSEA and NEA have many professional development opportunities to help you learn and lead your fellow members. Please if you have a few hours (or more) each month, get involved - SAAAAC needs your help - contact your board of directors for more information. At this time, we are still in negotiations with the BOE. We hope to have a general membership meeting before the end of school to approve a Tentative Agreement. As always we have to wait and see what the county councils budget looks like. I will give more information when it becomes available. On May 14, 2014 a memo was sent to your Principals on the last days for our TA s and 200 day School Based Secretaries. I sent this same information to our members. I hope that this will help with any questions that you might have. MSEA has announced a NEW Innovative Engagement and Organizing Grant. Do you have a great ideal for how to get your colleagues excited about the issues that matter to you, SAAAAC, and your profession? MSEA is looking for new ways to organize (sign up new members), engage, and energize our current members. Visit marylandeducators.org/ieogrant. The application deadline is June 16, On page 4 of this newsletter please find MDAppleBallot.com information. Visit this website and find recommended state and local pro-public education candidates for your district. VISIT: MDAppleBallot.com Remember primary Election Day is June 24, Make sure your vote counts for your students, your school, and your career. I want to thank you for allowing me to be president of your union. It has been very rewarding. I have made the decision to retire this year. As always your SAAAAC Board works hard to keep you informed. Please get involved. Let your voice be heard and make a difference. President Dennis Van Roekel Sincerely, Pat Dudley

2 Page 2 SAAAAC Informs Membership Committee News by Liz Dodson The school year is coming to an end. I would like to say thank you to all our members especially those who helped out on many of SAAAAC s committees this year. Each member is important to SAAAAC and we appreciate your membership! We need for our concerns to be heard. The louder our voice, the more influence and power it gives us in negotiating. The membership committee would like to encourage more members to get involved. No matter what amount of time you are willing to commit, we can use your help on a committee. It s hard, but if we sit back and do nothing, we will get nothing in return. Please consider volunteering for the following: Membership Committee Sick Leave Bank Committee Building Rep Committee Legislation Committee These are just a few examples. Welcome New Members! Mary Bodkin Latice Boone Beverly Boston Sherry Burnham Cathy Buckwalter Wendy Hensley Barbara Jones Dorothea Jones Ashley Kalandras Doris Leisher Pamela Queen SAAAAC Negotiated Agreement On May 20 th, your SAAAAC Executive Board (Pat Dudley, Liz Dodson, Elaine Hambly, and Debbie Schaefer) and one volunteer (Cindy Yale, Glendale Elementary) spent hours after the monthly Board meeting getting the hard copies of the negotiated agreement ready to 2014 Dorothy Hoffman Scholarship Winners The Board of Directors of the Secretaries and Assistants Association of Anne Arundel County, SAAAAC, is proud to award our annual Dorothy Hoffman Scholarship Awards for 2014 to Sidney Lee Anna Briemann and Eric W. Johnson in the amount of $1, each. be put into basket mail. Within a few days they should be leaving the Mail Room in batches. All SAAAAC members, through their building representatives, should begin to receive their copies very soon. Sidney is the daughter of Tina Briemann, Hilltop Elementary, and her plans are to become a teacher. Eric is the son of Vincent Johnson, Annapolis High, and he will become a mechanical engineer. Congratulations to both of them for their achievements. Early Enrollment The new members listed on this page took advantage of Early Enrollment meaning they joined SAAAAC now, but they don t have to pay dues until September 14 th! Please see the attached Early Enrollment membership form on page 6 and remember for every new member you enroll you can make money ($20 for one new member, $50 for two new members, $75 for three new members, $100 for four new members, and $125 for five new members). For more information, please Pat Dudley, pdudley@aacps.org

3 Volume 41, Issue 5 Page 3 Ask SAAAAC Q: What are Liz Dodson, Elaine Hambly, and Debbie Schaefer doing? A: This photo was taken at the ESP Professional Development Day sponsored by MSEA and held at the Doubletree in Annapolis. Also attending were several members from Point Pleasant Elementary School. It was a great day of workshops and friendship. And it s FREE to members, breakfast and lunch included. You can all go, too. Although, if you sign up to go and don t show you are required to reimburse the cost. Q: Are teacher assistants required to accept duties assigned such as lunch duty or hall monitoring duty? A: Yes, as long as it doesn t extend your 6.5 hours per day. If you need more clarification, feel free to ask additional questions or call Brad Darjean, (office), (cell). Building Rep News by Elaine Hambly Your Building Reps are better informed and able to represent members in their buildings because they are armed with personal training and information. This year, two training meetings were held for Building Representatives, one in February and another in April. Knowing that our members are scattered around Anne Arundel County, I arranged to have one training at Glendale Elementary to make it easier for those people in North County to attend. The other I arranged to have at Central Offices on Riva Road to reach out to the South County people. That seemed to be a successful way to go as they were both well attended.* Also at the meeting was Liz Dodson, our incoming President. After introductions, Pat Dudley our outgoing President spoke on Early Enrollment and the enrollment materials which were mailed out to all Building Representatives in a separate basket mailing. Bradley Darjean, our UniServ, spoke on many topics including Annual Reviews/Ratings, the Grievance Process and survey results after which we answered any questions. Those present were also given folders with handouts to help them back in their buildings. The sessions lasted one hour as promised but there were a few who stayed over nearly an hour with questions and concerns. We stayed as long as was necessary to make sure their needs were met. *Everyone who attended will receive one $5 gift card per meeting as part of the Good News Reward program which we began last year. GOOD NEWS REWARD Beginning Tuesday, May 27 th those who attended extra meetings and signed in will begin to receive their gift cards in basket mail. Thank you for taking your personal time to appear at meetings and especially for supporting SAAAAC at Board of Education and County Council Meetings. As you know, when our voices are heard, people know who we are and what we need. Sick Leave Bank open enrollment begins July 1 st and the application can be found on our website Any applications not received by September 30 th will not be accepted. The application is used for joining, withdrawing, and cancellation. So remember to get your applications in.

4 Page 4 SAAAAC Informs Did you know? Your SAAAAC membership entitles you to the following housing benefits: Exclusive The MD Residential Experts Team loan programs. No-obligation mortgage analysis Closing cost assistance Rental assistance Members receive discounts from Pillar to Post Professional Home Inspection, Accutech Pest Control, Advantage Title, Vintage Security and many others. Your family members are eligible for the same discounts and benefits. And so much more! To find out more about these or other benefits, visit or contact us using the information below. Barb Remias and Dee Zepp, Realtors The MD Residential Experts Team with Keller Williams Flagship of Maryland 1111 Benfield Blvd. Suite #250 Millersville, MD or barb@mdret.com or dee@mdret.com Find Your List of Pro-Public Education Candidates at MDAppleBallot.com Get the full slate of your district s education-friendly candidates for the Primary Election on June 24 We ve done our homework for the upcoming primary election on June 24 and made it easier than ever for SAAAAC members to take advantage of the candidate research and interviews that make up our rigorous recommendation process. All you need to do to find the educator-recommended candidate for every position on the ballot in your district is visit MDAppleBallot.com, enter your home address, then print the list (or it to yourself), and head to your polling place. Don t forget to share MDApplleBallot.com with your contacts through or social media, and volunteer to help pro-public education candidates. You ll also find links to most candidates campaign websites on MDAppleBallot.com, where you can learn more about them.

5 Why your health insurance just isn t enough... Health Insurance is only meant to help cover the cost of medical bills. Disability insurance is used to replace or supplement income while employees are out of work due to a disabling injury or illness. Disability insurance is critical to replacing lost income and with basic physical needs. Disability Insurance it works when you can t. If you have a pre-existing condition and/or have limited Sick Days, our Guaranteed Issue programs can offer the financial protection you need. Did you know Aflac: pays on top of sick leave can cover your spouse Short-term Disability $ 1,000 ( monthly Accident ( coverage Starting as low as $ 8.40 per pay pays on top of health insurance covers during the summer $ 1,000 monthly coverage Starting as low as $ per 1.96 pay Suzanne Herrmann Advisor, Employee Benefits smh@employee-plans.com Available only to SAAAAC Members

6 Early Enrollment Spring 2014 Promotion Membership Application RETURN TO PAT DUDLEY, SAAAAC, RIVA ROAD SSN (all digits are desired, last 4 digits are required) EMPLOYEE ID # LOCAL ASSOCIATION SAAAAC MR. MISS DR. MRS. MS. ADDRESS FIRST MIDDLE LAST CITY STATE ZIP CODE HOME PHONE CELL PHONE HOME WORK HIRE DATE ETHNICITY (optional) DATE OF BIRTH GENDER Male Female WORK LOCATION POSITION SUBJECT The following information is REQUIRED: Have you been a member of NEA in the past? Yes (not eligible for early enrollment) No (not eligible for early enrollment benefits start 9/1/14) Check One: Employed more than 50% Half-time or less Salary: Over $41,549 $20,775 to $41,549 below $20,775 How would you like to receive your MSEA ActionLine magazine? Print Digitally As a participant in the local association(see above)/maryland State Education Association/National Education Association Early Enrollment Membership Incentive Plan, I am eligible to receive prior to September 1, 2014 (but in no event before April 1, 2014) benefits under the NEA Educators Employment Liability (EEL) Program, as well as access to select NEA Member Benefits programs. As a condition of eligibility for these benefits, I agree to pay the appropriate unified Active membership dues for the membership year in accordance with established payment procedures. Should I fail to do so, my eligibility to receive benefits under the NEA EEL Program shall immediately terminate. In addition, I shall be liable for the cost of any benefits that were provided to me under the NEA EEL Program prior to September 1, EEL Program coverage from date of signature below (April 1, 2014 through August 31, 2014) is available only to individuals who are joining the Association for the first time as Active members for the year. Payroll Deduction Authorization: I authorize continuing payment or deduction of dues in the sum determined by my local affiliate, the Maryland State Education Association and the National Education Association, each year, unless I revoke this authorization in writing to my local affiliate by such time as is designated in my local affiliate s collective bargaining agreement or my local affiliate s policy. In case of my resignation or termination, the board of education shall deduct the balance of my yearly dues from my final check. Dues payments are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. SIGNATURE DATE Yes! I want to see our elected officials stand up for public education and my students. I hereby authorize the following contribution to the Fund for Children and Public Education of NEA, MSEA, and my Local Association to build a strong voice for educators: TOTAL PAC PAYROLL DEDUCTION PER PAY PERIOD $6.00 $3.00 $1.00 $ SIGNATURE The NEA Fund for Children and Public Education (NEA Fund) collects voluntary contributions from Association members which are used for political purposes, including, but not limited to, making contributions to and expenditures on behalf of friends of public education who are candidates for federal office. Only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents may contribute to the NEA Fund. Contributions to the NEA Fund are voluntary; making a contribution is neither a condition of employment nor membership in the Association, and members have the right to refuse to contribute without suffering any reprisal. Contributions to the NEA Fund are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year. I understand that I am making a joint contribution and that one-third of my contribution will go to the NEA Fund, one-third to the MSEA Fund and one-third to the local Fund. Federal law prohibits the NEA Fund from receiving donations from persons other than members of NEA and its affiliates, and their immediate families. All donations from persons other than members of NEA and its affiliates, and their immediate families, will be returned forthwith. REFERRED BY: LOCAL ASSOCIATION: RETAIN A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS

7 Volume 41, Issue 5 Page 7 FURNITURE STUDENT, TEACHER, ADMIN., MEDIA, AND CAFETERIA TIM ERVIN X3003 TIM@DURON.COM FAX AMANDA DESHAUTELLE ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT X3109 AMANDA@DURON.COM